The applicant contrived a technique of knitting by a flat knitting machine to produce a cylindrical knitted fabric without sewing, and successively putted the technique into practical use. Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-75656 proposes a knitting method for knitting a cylindrical rib using a flat knitting machine having two beds. The method is known as broad rib knitting. In the method, every other needle in the front and back needle beds is used. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-158209 proposes a method of joining two knitted fabrics. For example, five knit stitches of one fabric are joined to five knit stitches of the other knitted fabric. In this case, the knitted fabrics are joined together such that knit stitches at the center of one knitted fabric are overlapped with knit stitches at the center of the other knitted fabric, or knit stitches at both ends of one knitted fabric are overlapped with knitted stitches at both ends of the other knitted fabric.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-310254, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-226947, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10-77556 propose methods for joining knitted fabrics or cast off stitches. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-256947 discloses flechage knitting of a sleeve cap. WO00/12799 discloses a knitting method for permitting the entry of an upper end of a front body into a back body beyond a shoulder line. WO01/55491 discloses a method of knitting a neckline. WO01/88243 discloses a method of knitting a gore between a sleeve and a body. WO01/94671 discloses a method of joining a T-sleeve and a body.
In the textile product, it is a common practice that asymmetrically joined front and back sleeves are provided for fitting the body shape of human. However, as the knit product without sewing, no sweater with asymmetrically joined front and back sleeves has been produced so far. If the front sleeve and the back sleeve are asymmetrically joined such that the sleeves are oriented forward, the garment (sweater) can be worn as the comfortable cloth. However, no method for knitting such a sweater is known.